That is two years after I attempted my first one, the Gran Fondo NY, a hilly 100-mile-plus ride in New York and New Jersey that ended for me with a wrong turn at mile 89. (I did 102 miles that day, but have never considered it an official Century since I finished outside of time and with help from the SAG wagon. I wrote about my Gran Fondo NY experience in another blog post.)

For you non-cyclists, a Century is a ride of somewhere around 100 miles -- a distance many bicyclists aspire to try for the same reasons runners set finishing a marathon as a goal -- it's hard and not everyone can do it.

The Tour de Forts is an excellent ride -- well-organized, well-supported and mostly along beautiful, bike-friendly roads. The routes included rides of 21, 38, 62 and a Century, which actually amounted to 99 miles. (Century rides generally range from a bit under to 5 to 10 miles more than 100 miles.)

Sunday's rides began at Bartram Trail High School in north St. Johns County, with the longer ones heading south on State Road 13 along the St. Johns River, a shady winding road. The Century ride turned east after 35 miles towards St. Augustine, including on a stretch of the Palatka-St. Augustine rail trail.

After passing Castillo De San Marcos in St. Augustine, the Tour de Forts heads along A1A north to Ponte Vedra. This stretch provides glimpses of the ocean, the dunes of Guana River State Park and the mansions of Ponte Vedra.

After 74 miles, we turned west and wove through the communities of Nocatee and Durbin Crossing before returning to the high school.

There were six well-stocked -- and well-spaced rest stops along the route, including one at 91 miles that proved a life-saver as the temperatures reached into the 90s and riders used up their drinks from the stop at mile 75.

So what lessons did I learn since my failed attempt at the Gran Fondo NY?

I have a better base of miles this time. I was only 16 months into road cycling when I tried New York, which is a tough course with 7,000 feet of climbing. By comparison, the Tour de Forts has about 800 feet of climbing, mostly over the bridges to and from the beach.

I've also gotten better at learning how much and what to eat and drink during a ride. I now eat more small amounts during my ride and don't just chow down at rest stops. I also am sure to get protein and not just carbohydrates -- I eat a chicken sandwich rather than just snacking on PB&J.

I also can't neglect to mention the difference a bike makes. I loved the Trek 1.2 I took to the Gran Fondo NY, but my Franco Kanan is 5 pounds lighter, and physics tells you that you expend less energy powering a 16-pound bike versus a 21-pound one.

Another lesson, however, is a caution for all riders, but perhaps mostly for back-of-the-packers like me. Don't get caught up in the joy of a fast paceline early in a ride. If you aren't with a particular group and find one to join, drop back if the pace appears too fast.

I found two good packs for most of the first third of the ride, with paces between 17 and 19 mph. I expended too much energy after the second rest stop hanging with a slightly faster group before falling back. I almost made the same mistake on A1A after the stop at mile 57, but let them ride off. Of course, it is harder to ride alone without the benefits of drafting, but it is even harder to ride if you exhaust yourself trying to hang with the big boys and girls.

In all, I averaged 15.7 mph for 99 miles -- right in my comfort zone. The last 25 miles were tough, as the wind rose and the temperature, at least according to my Garmin 800, hit the mid-90s -- and there was no shade. (You can find the route and my details on MapMyRide.)